Tuskegee Airmen, UAVs Highlight The Weekend

After low clouds and some rain up and down the East Coast, May 31 proved the beginning of a spectacular weekend of blue skies and intense sun which brought out the colors of the approximately 207 aircraft attending the 17th Virginia Regional Festival of Flight. This seventh year for the Virginia Festival of Flight at Suffolk Executive Airport (KSFQ) was headlined by the Tuskegee Airmen mobile museum owned by the Commemorative Air Force,  plus several flights by the rare Red Tail P-51C. Fly-in President, Ray Batton, reports,  “Two days before the fly-in all the 6th graders in the Suffolk schools received  a presentation of the history and significance of the Tuskegee Airmen.” On the field a film of the history of the Tuskegee Airmen played in the trailer museum and was praised by those who saw it.

A first for the Virginia Fly-in was the opportunity to begin to understand the tremendous potential of commercial unmanned systems, UAVs, commonly called drones. The wide range of designs and the potential for their use in law enforcement, agriculture, mapping, search and rescue and more were introduced to attendees by 14 displays with representative to answer questions. In the full size airplane category, NASA Langley brought their Cirrus outfitted to fly as a computer-controlled drone.

This year the Youth Area with two tents and an outside activity area offered kids multiple hands-on experiences. Janie Fowler, the Youth Chairman, reports “Our activities arrested kids attention that kept the area buzzing”. Glen Knutson's forum tents were busy with 31 presentations ranging from aviation fuels and LSA Maintenance Requirements to the Restoration of the Enola Gay and Two World Record Attempts, One Successful, One Not So Much. Another first was Charlie Collier, a master welder, who taught a weekend long TIG welding workshop. A record 18 of these forum and workshop sessions offered either WINGS or AMT credit.

One of the major draws of the Virginia Festival of Flight are the homebuilt, antique and classic aircraft that attend. Builders and owners like to compare notes with each other, as well as request they be judged.  Judging results are posted here. As expected the majority of planes that flew in were certified aircraft requiring a cadre of aircraft parkers waving them to parking areas. Two letter codes available on the web site placed in windshields helped volunteer parkers with this job.

As often requested at the Festival of Flight, attendees took flights in a 172, an AT-6, two helicopters and a Great Lakes. Aircraft and flight training vendors displayed LSA and certified aircraft as well promoted their flight schools.

A Saturday car show and a Sunday afternoon aerobatic air show widened the local appeal of the fly-in. A last minute surprise was the arrival on Sunday of the Spirit of Freedom DC-4, the flying museum of the Berlin Airlift.

Judy Pastusek, the Volunteer Coordinator, reports, “We had appears to be a record 244 working volunteers. I've heard reports of,  “Best organized and run Festival of Flight”.

The 2015 Virginia Festival of Flight is set for May 30, 31 at Suffolk Executive Airport.

(Images provided by the Virginia Aviation Council. Top: Ryan PT-22 owned by the CAF Squadron at the Franklin, VA airport. Photo by Dee Whittington; Center: Waving in a Zenith 601XL. Photo by Mike Likavec; Bottom: L-39 owned by 757 Adventures taxis by. Photo by Mike LIkavec)

FMI: http://virginiaflyin.org/